As the new semester of 2024 begins, many universities are reportedly embracing new trends in talent cultivation:
Fudan University has established four new interdisciplinary schools focusing on integrated circuits and nanoelectronics, computing and intelligence, biomedical engineering and technology, intelligent robotics and advanced technology. These new engineering schools are closely tied to Shanghai's three major leading industries and boast a strong faculty lineup. The university has also initiated admissions for these schools this year.
Shanghai Jiao Tong University is targeting artificial intelligence, integrated circuits, biomedicine, new energy, and the ocean among other areas. It plans to either introduce new majors or strengthen existing ones, emphasizing the need for students to have solid mathematical and scientific abilities.
ShanghaiTech University, known for its cutting-edge basic scientific research, is introducing new majors in foreign languages and foreign history this year. However, it also stresses the requirement for applicants to have a solid foundation in STEM subjects. Candidates from provinces participating in the comprehensive reform of the college entrance examination must choose physics and chemistry as part of their exam subjects.
In late January, the Ministry of Education held a press conference, explicitly stating the need to optimize the enrollment structure of universities and encourage them to increase the proportion of STEM admissions.
Analyzing the adjustments to talent cultivation programs at several universities in Shanghai, combined with national strategic initiatives and local industrial development needs, it's evident that promoting the development of new engineering disciplines has become a major focus of this round of optimizing talent cultivation in universities. What exactly do these initiatives signify? Experts in higher education recently provided key insights in interviews with our reporters.
Strategic Focus: Universities Spearhead the Development of New Engineering Disciplines
Although the initial enrollment numbers for the new engineering schools established by Fudan University are modest, the four colleges are closely linked to Shanghai's three major leading industries. Moreover, they boast a formidable faculty. The university's New Engineering Strategy Consultation Committee was established in 2022, comprising mostly academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering, as well as top experts from leading enterprises in the industry.
Looking at the national landscape, comprehensive universities with strengths in both humanities and sciences are restructuring to accelerate their transformation into engineering-focused institutions. Prior to Fudan, Peking University announced the establishment of six engineering schools in 2020, including the School of Future Technology, School of Materials Science and Engineering, School of Integrated Circuits, School of Computer Science, School of Electronics, and School of Intelligence, along with five research institutions such as the Institute of Artificial Intelligence and the Energy Research Institute.
On the other hand, STEM-focused universities are also focusing on cultivating top talents and accelerating their transformation, particularly emphasizing the strengthening of students' mathematical and scientific foundations. Recently, Fields Medalist and Dean of the Tsinghua University Schwarzman College, Shing-Tung Yau, mentioned during an interview in Shanghai, "Engineering disciplines without a solid mathematical foundation are difficult to develop."
Zhang Junliang, head of the Academic Affairs Office at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, told reporters that in recent years, the university has introduced new majors emphasizing strong mathematical and scientific foundations alongside the traditional engineering mindset. Drawing upon disciplines like mathematics, statistics, and physics, which have been rated as Class A subjects in recent years, the university has launched a series of interdisciplinary programs bridging sciences, engineering, and medicine to effectively enhance students' STEM foundations.
"It's not only about strengthening the integration between natural sciences and engineering; there should be no clear boundary between humanities and STEM disciplines," emphasized Yin Jie, Executive Vice President and Dean of Academic Affairs at ShanghaiTech University. He pointed out that knowledge itself is not divided into humanities, sciences, and engineering; rather, the categorization emerged after industrialization due to the demand for specialized talents. "This is why scholars like Aristotle are no longer possible after industrialization. Today, technological innovation not only requires more STEM talents but also demands a mathematical and scientific foundation even for those engaged in humanities and social sciences. This is particularly crucial for research areas like history of science and technology and ethics of technology, which urgently require a foundation in STEM."
Rebalancing: Further Increasing the Proportion of STEM Talent Cultivation
In fact, the adjustment of the talent cultivation structure in universities has been foreseeable for some time. Statistical data shows that in 2022, the proportion of admissions in STEM and related fields exceeded 50% in undergraduate enrollment nationwide, and in some prestigious universities, this proportion exceeded 70%. At the master's level, nearly 60% of admissions were in STEM fields, while at the doctoral level, over 80% of admissions were in STEM fields.
Experts, interpreting these statistics in interviews with our reporters, straightforwardly describe this as a "rebalancing" of the talent cultivation structure in universities.
As early as the 1980s and 1990s, the proportion of admissions in STEM and related fields in Chinese universities far exceeded 50%. However, starting from the late 20th century, the proportion began to decline, even dropping to around 30% at one point. An official from a university further explained that compared to STEM disciplines, the construction of humanities and social science disciplines is relatively easier and can quickly meet the demands for expanding university enrollment. Additionally, during a certain period, liberal arts education received increasing attention in universities. However, in the process of promoting liberal arts education, many people equated it directly with humanities, neglecting natural sciences and engineering thinking.
Today, with rapid technological iterations and urgent demands for economic and social development, the Ministry of Education proposed in 2017 to promote the construction and development of new engineering disciplines in universities. "Today, with new technologies, new formats, and new models emerging constantly, coupled with our current key period of driving innovation-led development, it is inevitable to increase the proportion of STEM talent cultivation and promote the development of new engineering disciplines," Zhang Junliang told reporters.
In fact, various departments such as the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Science and Technology have been adjusting the talent cultivation and disciplinary structure of universities through various "policy tools." Last June, the National Natural Science Foundation of China announced plans to explore support for senior undergraduate students to engage in basic research. In January of this year, six departments including the Ministry of Science and Technology jointly issued a document to promote the formation of patents through financial support for research projects. These new policies and measures all underscore the current emphasis on the development of STEM disciplines.
Exploring Paths: Guiding Future Industrial Development through Industry-Education Integration
Reviewing the new engineering talent cultivation programs at several top universities, it's evident that nurturing talents through industry-education integration platforms is a significant feature of this round of talent cultivation. At Fudan University and Shanghai Jiao Tong University, the newly launched majors rely on national-level industry-education integration platforms for talent cultivation. Additionally, majors such as biomedical engineering at ShanghaiTech University have collaborated with top enterprises in the industry such as United Imaging.
"Industry-education integration is not only about introducing industry expertise to cultivate talents needed for current industrial development; we also hope to nurture individuals capable of leading future industrial development and even creating new industries," explained Zhang Junliang. Shanghai Jiao Tong University has already produced a group of influential graduates in fields such as artificial intelligence and computer science through early attempts at talent cultivation in collaboration with the industry, notably through the Zhiyuan College's computer science program (formerly known as the ACM class However, to excel in establishing new majors and enhancing the quality of STEM talent cultivation at universities, apart from leveraging industry collaboration and strengthening the integration of production, education, and research, it's also necessary to further enhance the cross-disciplinary collaboration among existing departments and academic disciplines within the university, exploring new mechanisms for educating students across disciplines.
Taking the newly established energy storage major at Shanghai Jiao Tong University as an example, previously, disciplines related to energy storage were scattered across various departments. For instance, thermodynamics and fluid mechanics in the School of Mechanical Engineering, and electrochemistry and catalysis research in the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering are closely related to energy storage.
In order to better meet the demands of future industrial development and foster innovative talents, it's imperative to reintegrate the advantageous resources of these disciplines and enhance the synergy and organic cooperation among different departments. "It's foreseeable that in the process of breaking down disciplinary barriers and promoting the integration of industry, academia, and research, there may even be a restructuring of the majors and disciplines within the university, presenting new challenges for the institution," said Zhang Junliang.
(Original Title: Further Optimization of Disciplinary Structure to Increase the Proportion of STEM Talent Cultivation)
